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Welcome to Historic Alexandria! With more than 250 years of history and hospitality to its credit, Alexandria offers an array of historic and cultural attractions. Alexandria's many historic homes, churches, businesses and museums allow residents and visitors alike to experience the hand of the past that makes our city the charming and historic town it is today. Visit City of Alexandria museums and historic sites and discover our past, present and future!

This week in historic Alexandria, strengthen and coordinate
your body through expressive movement in a historical setting, work out your
happy feet and enjoy a creative poetry and musical program about the
Civil War at The Athenaeum,; learn more about the intersection of science and
history at the new Family Arts Lab at the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary; and
bring the children to Gadsby’s Tavern Museum for a special new tour designed
just for families.

Alexandria was a key site in the Civil War -- both for the
Union and the Confederacy -- and many public and private Civil War references
remain today. Over the last few weeks, the City has received a
number of inquiries about Civil War references The Mayor has asked that
staff provide a report in conjunction with City Council's next meeting in
September. The report will include information about some of the
references people ask most frequently about.

The War of 1812 and the five-day occupation of Alexandria by British forces in 1814, had a profound effect on the town and its economy. Threatened with an invasion and with insufficient forces to defend the city, Alexandria’s Common Council surrendered to the British without resistance. The city avoided being burned, but the was required to surrender contents of stores and warehouses.Learn more about how the War and occupation affected Alexandria, view objects from the Historic Alexandria collections, commemorate the Bicentennial with a series of events, and learn about the Signature Event, a History Festival that took place in August 2014.

The Office of Historic Alexandria has been awarded a grant of $8,000 from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities to begin the initial phase of what is anticipated to be a new, multi-year project entitled Immigration Alexandria: Past, Present and Future. This new initiative will examine the history of immigration from the mid-nineteenth century to today in Alexandria. Oral histories of those representing different ethnic groups in the post-1970 immigrant communities of Alexandria, fundamental to the overall project, will be executed first with the VFH funding. The purpose of this first city-wide endeavor is to increase public understanding of the historic and contemporary significance of immigration to Alexandria and its impacts on our social and cultural fabric. Funding for planning and research, as well as implementation to celebrate Alexandria’s diversity through public programming, is now being developed in partnerships with both government and the private sector.

Visit the Historic Alexandria Museum Store, online and at two convenient locations. The shops offers great gift ideas, a wide variety of Alexandria-related merchandise and the very best selections from all the Historic Alexandria museum stores. Your purchases support programming at Historic Alexandria's museums.

Main Store at The Lyceum: Alexandria's History Museum, 201 S. Washington Street

The newest Office of Historic Alexandria publication is Gadsby’s Tavern by museum director Gretchen Bulova. This Images of America Series publication by Arcadia features the 20th century preservation story of historic Gadsby’s Tavern, and details the people and organizations that were involved in its being saved today as a National Historic Landmark. The book is available May 4th and will be available in the gift shops of Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, The Lyceum, and the Historic Alexandria Museum Store at the Old Town Hilton. It can also be purchased online at The Alexandria Shop. Gadsby’s Tavern retails for 21.99.

Alexandria offers educators the unique opportunity to reinforce their teaching with hands-on experiences, field trips, lectures, educational kits and other media resources. These programs are designed to foster interest in the history and culture of Alexandria from colonial times to the present.

The Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial was officially opened on September 6, 2014. Learn about the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial history and archaeology of the site, view the extensive news coverage of the commemoration ceremonies, and watch short videos about the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial on Comcast Newsmakers, of interviews with Char McCargo Bah, Audrey Davis and Francine Bromberg.

Visit Fort Ward Park to see new historic signage highlighting the post-Civil War African American community known as The Fort. A copy ofThe Fort Heritage Trail Brochureis available online. This community is the focus of an effort by the Office of Historic Alexandria to study and preserve the post-Civil War historic resources of Fort Ward Park. Archaeological excavations in the park, historical research, and oral histories highlight our growing knowledge of this community. Learn about the Stakeholder Advisory Group, and about archaeological and historical research, including reports on excavations, transcriptions of oral history interviews with former residents.

Explore Alexandria's Civil War heritage with a free iPHone app, find out about an array of historic and cultural attractions, go on a scavenger hunt, and walk or bike a part of the Alexandria Heritage Trail.

Make your child's birthday a historic occasion, with a party at one of several historic museums in Alexandria, including the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary, the Friendship Firehouse, and Gadsby's Tavern.

You can also schedule tours and programs at all of the Historic Alexandria Museums for school groups, scout groups, homeschool families, and camps, as well as for adults.

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Seven of the city's premier historic sites are owned and operated by the City of Alexandria and fall under the administration of the Office of Historic Alexandria, the department of City government charged with the conservation, interpretation and promotion of these links to the past.